Early life and education painting; the inscription around Bacon's head reads:
Si tabula daretur digna animum mallem,
Latin for "If one could but paint his mind". entry to
York House, built around 1626 in
Strand, the year of Bacon's death Francis Bacon was born on 22 January 1561 at
York House near
Strand in
London, the son of
Sir Nicholas Bacon (
Lord Keeper of the Great Seal) by his second wife,
Anne (Cooke) Bacon, the daughter of the noted
Renaissance humanist Anthony Cooke. His mother's sister was married to
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, making Burghley Bacon's uncle. Biographers believe that Bacon was educated at home in his early years owing to poor health, which would plague him throughout his life. He received tuition from John Walsall, a graduate of
Oxford with a strong leaning toward
Puritanism. He attended
Trinity College at the
University of Cambridge on 5 April 1573 at the age of 12, living there for three years along with his older brother
Anthony Bacon (1558–1601) under the personal tutelage of
John Whitgift, future
Archbishop of Canterbury. Bacon's education was conducted largely in Latin and followed the medieval curriculum. It was at
Cambridge that Bacon first met
Queen Elizabeth, who was impressed by his precocious intellect, and was accustomed to calling him "The young lord keeper". His studies brought him to the belief that the methods and results of science as then practised were erroneous. His reverence for
Aristotle conflicted with his rejection of
Aristotelian philosophy, which seemed to him barren, argumentative and wrong in its objectives. On 27 June 1576, he and Anthony entered
de societate magistrorum at
Gray's Inn. A few months later, Francis went abroad with Sir
Amias Paulet, the English ambassador at Paris, while Anthony continued his studies at home. The state of government and society in France under
Henry III afforded him valuable political instruction. For the next three years he visited
Blois,
Poitiers,
Tours, Italy, and Spain. There is no evidence that he studied at the
University of Poitiers. During his travels, Bacon studied language, statecraft, and civil law while performing routine diplomatic tasks. On at least one occasion he delivered diplomatic letters to England for
Walsingham, Burghley,
Leicester, and for the queen.
Parliamentarian in London's South Square Bacon stated that he had three goals: to uncover truth, to serve his country, and to serve his church. He sought to achieve these goals by seeking a prestigious post. In 1580, through his uncle,
Lord Burghley, he applied for a post at court that might enable him to pursue a life of learning, but his application failed. For two years he worked quietly at
Gray's Inn, until he was admitted as an
outer barrister in 1582. His parliamentary career began when he was elected
MP for
Bossiney, Cornwall, in a
by-election in 1581. In 1584 he took his seat in
Parliament for
Melcombe in Dorset, and in 1586 for
Taunton. At this time, he began to write on the condition of parties in the church, as well as on the topic of philosophical reform in the lost tract
Temporis Partus Maximus. Yet he failed to gain a position that he thought would lead him to success. He showed signs of sympathy to Puritanism, attending the sermons of the Puritan chaplain of Gray's Inn and accompanying his mother to the
Temple Church to hear
Walter Travers. This led to the publication of his earliest surviving tract, which criticized the English church's suppression of the Puritan clergy. In the Parliament of 1586, he openly urged execution for the Catholic
Mary, Queen of Scots. About this time, he again approached his powerful uncle for help; this move was followed by his rapid progress at the bar. He became a
bencher in 1586 and was elected a
Reader in 1587, delivering his first set of lectures in Lent the following year. In 1589, he received the valuable appointment of
reversion to the Clerkship of the
Star Chamber, although he did not formally take office until 1608; the post was worth £1,600 a year. In 1588 he became MP for
Liverpool and then for
Middlesex in 1593. He later sat three times for
Ipswich (1597, 1601, 1604) and once for
Cambridge University (1614). He became known as a liberal-minded reformer, eager to amend and simplify the law. Though a friend of the crown, he opposed feudal privileges and dictatorial powers. He spoke against religious persecution. He struck at the House of Lords in its usurpation of the Money Bills. He advocated for the union of England and Scotland, which made him a significant influence toward the consolidation of the United Kingdom; and he later would advocate for the integration of Ireland into the Union. Closer constitutional ties, he believed, would bring greater peace and strength to these countries.
Final years of Elizabeth's reign Bacon soon became acquainted with
Robert Devereux, the 2nd Earl of Essex, Queen Elizabeth's favourite. In 1592, he was commissioned to write a tract in response to the
Jesuit Robert Parson's anti-government polemic, which he titled
Certain Observations Made upon a Libel, identifying England with the ideals of democratic
Athens against the belligerence of Spain. Bacon took his third parliamentary seat for
Middlesex when in February 1593 Elizabeth summoned Parliament to investigate a
Roman Catholic plot against her. Bacon's opposition to a bill that would levy triple subsidies in half the usual time offended the Queen: opponents accused him of seeking popularity, and for a time the Court excluded him from favour. When the office of
Attorney General fell vacant in 1594, Lord Essex's influence was not enough to secure the position for Bacon and it was given to Sir
Edward Coke. Likewise, Bacon failed to secure the lesser office of
Solicitor General in 1595, the Queen pointedly snubbing him by appointing Sir
Thomas Fleming instead. To console him for these disappointments, Essex presented him with a property at
Twickenham, which Bacon subsequently sold for £1,800. In 1597 Bacon became the first
Queen's Counsel designate, when Queen Elizabeth reserved him as her legal counsel. In 1597, he was also given a patent, giving him precedence at the Bar. Despite his designations, he was unable to gain the status and notoriety of others. In a plan to revive his position he unsuccessfully courted the wealthy young widow Lady
Elizabeth Hatton. His courtship failed after she broke off their relationship upon accepting marriage to Sir Edward Coke, a further spark of enmity between the men. In 1598 Bacon was arrested for debt. Afterward, however, his standing in the Queen's eyes improved. Gradually, Bacon earned the standing of one of the learned counsels. His relationship with the Queen further improved when he severed ties with Essexa shrewd move, as Essex would be executed for treason in 1601. With others, Bacon was appointed to investigate the charges against Essex. A number of Essex's followers confessed that Essex had planned a rebellion against the Queen. Bacon was subsequently a part of the legal team headed by the
Attorney General Sir Edward Coke at Essex's treason trial. According to his personal secretary and chaplain,
William Rawley, as a judge Bacon was always tender-hearted, "looking upon the examples with the eye of severity, but upon the person with the eye of pity and compassion". And also that "he was free from malice", "no revenger of injuries", and "no defamer of any man".
James I comes to the throne The succession of
James I brought Bacon into greater favour. He was
knighted in 1603. In another shrewd move, Bacon wrote his
Apologies in defence of his proceedings in the case of Essex, as Essex had favoured James to succeed to the throne. The following year, during the course of the uneventful first parliamentary session, Bacon married
Alice Barnham. In June 1607, he was at last rewarded with the office of Solicitor General and in 1608 he began working as the Clerk of the
Star Chamber. Despite a generous income, old debts still could not be paid. He sought further promotion and wealth by supporting King James and his arbitrary policies. In 1610 the fourth session of James's first
Parliament met. Despite Bacon's advice to him, James and the Commons found themselves at odds over royal prerogatives and the King's embarrassing extravagance. The House was finally dissolved in February 1611. Throughout this period Bacon managed to stay in favour with the King while retaining the confidence of the Commons. In 1613 Bacon was finally appointed
Attorney General, after advising the King to shuffle judicial appointments. As Attorney General, Bacon, by his zealous effortswhich included tortureto obtain the conviction of
Edmund Peacham for treason, raised legal controversies of high constitutional importance. Bacon and
Gray's Inn produced
The Masque of Flowers to celebrate the wedding of
Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset and his wife,
Frances Howard, Countess of Somerset, and he successfully prosecuted them for murder in 1616. The so-called Prince's Parliament of April 1614 objected to Bacon's presence in the seat for
Cambridge and to the various royal plans that Bacon had supported. Although he was allowed to stay, Parliament passed a law that forbade the Attorney General to sit in Parliament. His influence over the King had evidently inspired resentment or apprehension in many of his peers. Bacon, however, continued to receive the King's favour, which led to his appointment in March 1617 as temporary Regent of England (for a period of a month), and in 1618 as
Lord Chancellor. On 12 July 1618 the King created Bacon
Baron Verulam of
Verulam in the
Peerage of England; he then became known as Francis, Lord Verulam. Bacon continued to use his influence with the King to mediate between the throne and Parliament, and in this capacity he was further elevated in the same peerage as
Viscount St Alban on 27 January 1621.
Lord Chancellor and public disgrace on the day of his 1621 political fall Bacon's public career ended in disgrace in 1621. After he fell into debt, a parliamentary committee on the administration of the law charged him with 23 separate counts of corruption. His lifelong enemy, Sir
Edward Coke, who had instigated these accusations, was one of those appointed to prepare the charges against the chancellor. To the lords, who sent a committee to enquire whether a confession was really his, he replied, "My lords, it is my act, my hand, and my heart; I beseech your lordships to be merciful to a broken reed." He was sentenced to a fine of £40,000 and committed to the
Tower of London at the king's pleasure; the imprisonment lasted only a few days and the fine was remitted by the king. More seriously, parliament declared Bacon incapable of holding future office or sitting in parliament. He narrowly escaped undergoing
degradation, which would have stripped him of his titles of nobility. Subsequently, the disgraced viscount devoted himself to study and writing. There seems little doubt that Bacon had accepted gifts from litigants, but this was an accepted custom of the time and not necessarily evidence of deeply corrupt behaviour. While acknowledging that his conduct had been lax, he countered that he had never
allowed gifts to influence his judgement and, indeed, he had on occasion given a verdict against those who had paid him. He even had an interview with King James in which he assured: He also wrote the following to
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham: As the conduct of accepting gifts was ubiquitous and common practice, and the Commons was zealously inquiring into judicial corruption and malfeasance, it has been suggested that Bacon served as a scapegoat to divert attention from Buckingham's own ill practice and alleged corruption. The true reason for his acknowledgement of guilt is the subject of debate, but some authors speculate that it may have been prompted by his sickness, or by a view that through his fame and the greatness of his office he would be spared harsh punishment. He may even have been blackmailed, with a threat to charge him with
sodomy, into confession. The British jurist
Basil Montagu wrote in Bacon's defence, concerning the episode of his public disgrace:
Personal life Religious beliefs Bacon was a devout
Anglican. He believed that philosophy and the natural world must be studied inductively, but argued that we can only study arguments for the existence of God. Information about God's attributes (such as nature, action, and purposes) can only come from
special revelation. Bacon also held that knowledge was cumulative, that study encompassed more than a simple preservation of the past. "Knowledge is the rich storehouse for the glory of the Creator and the relief of man's estate," he wrote. In his
Essays, he affirms that "a little philosophy inclineth man's mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to religion." Bacon's idea of
idols of the mind may have self-consciously represented an attempt to Christianize science at the same time as developing a new, reliable scientific method; Bacon gave worship of
Neptune as an example of the
idola tribus fallacy, hinting at the religious dimensions of his critique of the idols. Bacon was against the splintering within Christianity, believing that it would ultimately lead to the creation of atheism as a dominant worldview, as indicated with his quote that "The causes of atheism are: divisions in religion, if they be many; for any one main division, addeth zeal to both sides; but many divisions introduce atheism. Another is, scandal of priests; when it is come to that which St. Bernard saith 'One cannot now say the priest is as the people, for the truth is that the people are not so bad as the priest'. A third is, custom of profane scoffing in holy matters; which doth by little and little deface the reverence of religion. And lastly, learned times, specially with peace and prosperity; for troubles and adversities do more bow men's minds to religion."
Architectural projects Bacon built
Verulam House in St Albans to his own designs. It has been suggested that this building was derivative of
Sir Rowland Hill's building at
Soulton Hall.
Marriage to Alice Barnham When he was 36, Bacon courted
Elizabeth Hatton, a young widow of 20. Reportedly, she broke off their relationship upon accepting marriage to a wealthier man, Bacon's rival, Sir
Edward Coke. Years later, Bacon still wrote of his regret that the marriage to Hatton had not taken place.At the age of 45, Bacon married
Alice Barnham, the 13-year-old daughter of a well-connected London
alderman and MP. Bacon wrote two sonnets proclaiming his love for Alice. The first was written during his courtship and the second on his wedding day, 10 May 1606. When Bacon was appointed lord chancellor, "by special Warrant of the King", Lady Bacon was given precedence over all other Court ladies. Bacon's personal secretary and chaplain, William Rawley, wrote in his biography of Bacon that his marriage was one of "much conjugal love and respect", mentioning a robe of honour that he gave to Alice and which "she wore unto her dying day, being twenty years and more after his death". that, upon their descent into debt, she went on trips to ask for financial favours and assistance from their circle of friends. Bacon disinherited her upon discovering her secret romantic relationship with
Sir John Underhill, rewriting his will (which had generously planned to leave her lands, goods, and income) and revoking her entirely as a beneficiary.
Sexuality Several authors believe that, despite his marriage, Bacon was primarily attracted to men. Forker, for example, has explored the "historically documentable sexual preferences" of both Francis Bacon and
King James I and concluded they were both oriented to "masculine love", a contemporary term that "seems to have been used exclusively to refer to the sexual preference of men for members of their own gender." Bacon's sexuality has been disputed by others, who point to lack of consistent evidence and consider the sources to be more open to interpretation. The Jacobean antiquary and Bacon's fellow parliament member Sir
Simonds D'Ewes implied there had been a question of bringing Bacon to trial for buggery, with which his brother Anthony Bacon had also been charged. (Bacon's brother "apparently also was homosexual", according to literature and sexuality scholar Joseph Cady.) In his
Autobiography and Correspondence diary entry for 3 May 1621, the date of Bacon's censure by Parliament, D'Ewes describes Bacon's love for his Welsh serving-men, in particular his servant Mr. Henry Godrick or Goodrick, a "very effeminate-faced youth" whom he calls "his
catamite and bedfellow". Bacon's own mother complained to Anthony on Bacon's affection for another servant of his, named Percy, whom she wrote Bacon kept as "a coach companion and bed companion." In his
Brief Lives sketches (likely composed during 1665–1690 and published as a book in 1813), the antiquary
John Aubrey wrote that Bacon was a
pederast "whose Ganimeds and Favourites tooke Bribes". While pederast strictly denoted "boy-lover" in earlier times, Cady wrote that Aubrey deployed the term discreetly in the original Greek to signify "male homosexual". The figure of
Ganymede, he continued, was another of many common ways of referring obliquely to homosexuality. In
New Atlantis, Bacon described his
utopian island as being "the chastest nation under heaven", with "no touch" of "masculine love". Cady argued that Bacon's reference to male homosexuality in the
New Atlantis deliberately gave the appearance of coming from "outside the phenomenon" due to prevalent opposition. It contrasted deliberately with "veiled" praise of the topic elsewhere in Bacon's work, he asserted. Cady offered several examples, including that Bacon discussed only male beauty in his short essay "Of Beauty". He also noted that Bacon ended his monologue
The Masculine Birth of Time with an older man asking a younger one (from his "inmost heart") to "give yourself to me so that I may restore you to yourself" and "secure [you] an increase beyond all hopes and prayers of ordinary marriages".
Death in
St Albans On 9 April 1626, Bacon died of
pneumonia at
Highgate outside London, specifically at Arundel House, a country residence of his friend the
Earl of Arundel, though Arundel was at that time imprisoned in the
Tower of London. An influential account of the circumstances of his death was given by John Aubrey's
Brief Lives. He left personal assets of about £7,000 and lands that realised £6,000 when sold. His debts amounted to more than £23,000, equivalent to more than £4m at current value. ==Philosophy and works==